Intolerance spending more time on bench

So much has been written and said about Michael Sam in the past week. So much more is yet to come before the National Football League Draft. And then there's his playing career to consider.

Mike Klocke

So much has been written and said about Michael Sam in the past week. So much more is yet to come before the National Football League Draft. And then there's his playing career to consider.

There's poetic justice that Sam made the announcement that he is gay - and the reaction has been largely positive - at the same time Russia's leaders are holding to their anti-gay stance during the Olympics.

Not that long ago, sadly, if The Record wrote an editorial supporting gay marriage (we have) or published a balanced front-page story about gay rights (we did) or covered the local LGBT community (we do), my phone would ring, my email inbox would fill and a handful of people would cancel their subscriptions.

Times have changed. The acceptance is greater, even among many faiths.

I look forward to the day when I can watch a three-hour NFL game with Sam playing and only hear him referred to as a defensive lineman. Or a Missouri graduate.

Sam's courage in making the announcement before embarking on a professional football career is impressive. And his credentials - the best defensive player in the best college football league - raise the profile of the situation.

Of the many things written or said after Sam's announcement, a column by Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle stood out. He opined that America as a whole is ready for an openly gay pro football player. Jenkins questioned, however, "Who will be the NFL's Branch Rickey?"

Rickey was the Brooklyn Dodgers executive who rose above all the furor and brought Jackie Robinson into Major League Baseball in 1947, breaking the color barrier.

The struggle by gays for equal rights and public acceptance will continue well after the whole Michael Sam situation plays out.

But, here in San Joaquin County, voters have elected two openly gay women to the state legislature. They didn't do so because of the sexual preference of Cathleen Galgiani and Susan Eggman. They were elected because both have backgrounds of public service. Their work in Sacramento will ultimately be judged by citizens based on what they get done.

A defensive lineman deserves the same opportunity.

Several thoughts came to mind while watching University of the Pacific's riveting 89-82 men's basketball victory over Brigham Young on Thursday:

» Stockton needs more events such as this. It was more than a game, it was an event.

» If Pacific had not left the Big West Conference this year, there's a high likelihood it would be on its way to an NCAA Tournament berth. The Big West is weak this year, and Pacific would have been a favorite.

» Nonetheless, the switch to the West Coast Conference was the absolute right move for the future of Pacific basketball.

A good portion, but not a majority, of the crowd of more than 4,000 - the biggest in years - was there to cheer for BYU. But that's part of the point. More high-profile opponents will bring in other fans.

The Pacific fans were loud, supportive and intense. The challenge - particularly for students - is to be that way for all games - not just the ones against big opponents that are televised.

The 12-hour time difference between Sochi, Russia, and the West Coast leaves those who want Winter Olympics news with a conundrum. Do they try to not pay attention to all media so there's actually intrigue when they watch prime-time, delayed coverage? Or do they go to their computers and phones to get results as they happen?

The live events are streamed online. You can go to many web sites - including recordnet.com - for results as they happen.

Our view is that the few people who want to wait and watch the event in prime time with no knowledge of the outcome are far outweighed by those with the desire for immediate news.

Frankly, it's very hard not to be a "spoiler" when the time difference between where we're located and where the Olympics are taking place is a half day.

The situation will change somewhat for 2014 World Cup soccer and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janiero, with only five hours of time difference to the West Coast.

Contact Record Editor Mike Klocke at (209) 546-8250 or mklocke@recordnet.com.